This invention relates to telecommunications apparatus and, in particular, to network interface units.
Network interface units constitute the demarcation between the customer's equipment and the telephone network. In buildings including multiple subscribers, the interlace unit is typically mounted in the basement and includes an array of customer bridges, each bridge being coupled to an individual subscriber line. The bridges are coupled to the phone network through an RJ11 jack and plug so that a customer can plug a working phone into the jack to determine if any equipment problems lie in the customer or network side of the telecommunications system.
Network interface units also include a building entrance protector portion which includes a cable splice chamber and a protector field for providing surge protection for each customer. The protector field is typically mounted adjacent to the array of customer bridges. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,560 issued to Collins et al.) It has recently been proposed to include the protector field and splice chamber in the bottom layer of a multilayer unit with the customer bridges in the top layer. (See U.S. patent application of Daoud, Ser. No. 08/040,772, filed Mar. 31, 1993, and assigned to the present assignee.)
It has also been suggested to include a housing attached to the RJ11 jack of a customer bridge, which housing could include a protector, a maintenance termination unit, or other types of electronic components. (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,908 issued to Baker, et al.) Suggestions have also been made to combine a modular jack and protector in a single housing. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,345 issued to Marks.) Further, it has been proposed to include a shield contact on a modular jack. The shield includes tails for mounting to a ground plane of a printed wiring board. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,858 issued to Dechelette.)